Pictures from the Dutchess County Fair

Finally MOM! This is Ralphie. He's new to Dock Diving. He caught on really quick! Bruno did a great job jumping! Amanda was so proud! Daddy giving me a good luck hug!!!! See.....Here is Daddy teasing me by not throwing my WUBBA! Daddy placing me all the way at the back of the dock. Looks like I listen really well, huh? Patiently waiting for Daddy's command to go get WUBBA! Here I come!!!!! What a great action shot!!! I caught WUBBA in mid air.....don't you get like an extra foot for that? ;) How did I do Dad???? Here I am with my Dock Dog metals from the weekend. I have 2 blue ribbons for my Junior Title and 2 red ribbons for mySenior Title. I just need 3 more jumps in each during a National Dock Dogs event to get my official national titles. I just have a feeling I'll jump right through them. My best jump of the weekend was 15'11". I would of been in the finals with that jump but another dog bumped me out by 2 inches! What a long weekend. We're finally heading home. Phew....all that jumping can tire a girl right out! I'm sleeping for a couple days. Mommy says I should share this picture. This is Ms. Lynn. Ms. Lynn is one of the nicest human mommies you will meet. She is the mommy to 11 labs! She jumps 3 with Dock Dogs. They're names are Bodie, Ombrea & T-Bone. Ms. Kathleen is riding the mechanical bull that was at the Dutchess County Fair. I just love the expression on her face. After she got off, I gave her lots of Bella kisses for a job well done. I don't think I could have done that.

I figured it out.......

with the help of Bruno of course! This whole...Do you want a brother/sister question that comes out of mommy and daddy's mouth? Bruno says having a brother or sister is like having a best bud canine pal that lives with you. It would be like if Bruno lived with us forever! Heck yeah! I'd love having a best bud always around to play with. Don't get me wrong..mommy and daddy are GREAT! They play with me, take me swimming and love me but when mommy and daddy have to go to work....I would have someoone to continue to play with. I tink this brother/sister thing is a great idea. However, I did hear mommy and daddy talking. They were discussing about waiting till Christmas to bring home my new best friend. That's a long time away. Mom just put out the big orange balls that smell delish!!! I remember last year it seemed like forever until that large tree that sparkles comes out. Oh well, I'll just will start planning all the fun games we could play.

We're still here!

Hey there! I'm apologizing for Mommy. She's been busy keeping up with the summer, family & friends and of course ME!!!! Everyday we're going for 2 walks!!!! How lucky am I. Plus, I still get all the hugs and kisses, trips to the dog park & snuggle time at night. Mommy and Daddy keep asking me on question that I don't quite get. Do you (and if I hear those 2 words my ears perk right up) want (oohhhh there' s the head tilt) a brother or a sister? HUH? Can someone please clue me in what the heck a brother or sister is. Mommy says Bruno is getting a little brother so I'll have to get the run down with Bruno this weekend. Bruno is coming over Saturday for a sleepover! I'm sooo excited. But before he actually gets to crash at my crib....Mommy and Daddy are taking us both to NEW YORK to go SWIMMING!!!! YAHOO! Hudson Valley Dock Dogs is having another club FUN JUMP. All my other doggie friends will be there. We'll rock the dock! Mommy also made homemade cookies for Bruno & I last night. I got to be the taste tester. I have to make sure mommy measured and stirred everything just right! She made pumpkin cookies & garlic cookies! I think I drooled the whole time the oven was on. Mommy has to still post pictures from the Dutchess County Fair (I've been bugging her to do that. My paws can only handle typing...there is no way I can control a mouse, well maybe Zuri can since). A little secret.....I HAVE A NEW PERSONAL BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I jumped 15 feet 11 inches. I know have my paws on 2 different titles....my National Junior Title & my National Senior Title.

NEW PICS!!!!!!!!

Mommy finally found time to sit down last night to upload pictures of my last jumping competition at Ledgewood Kennels in June.

Remember that lovely thing called a line.....well I'm waiting. How exciting....I know!

HERE I COME!!!!!!!!!!

WWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! Look at that form! Nevermind the form. LOOK AT THAT SPLASH!!!!!!!!!

See my pink ribbon!!!

Here's my buddy BRUNO!!! Go Bruno Go! You'll love it.

This is Gracie Lou! I think she'd rather push her

Daddy in then jump.

"Please Daddy, don't make me jump."

Well that's all we've got!

Check back soon for the Dutchess County Fair pics!

"I'm sooooo excited and I just can't hide it!!!"

Guess what's coming up in a couple weeks!

A NATIONAL DOCK DOGS COMPETITION!!!!

I get to strutt (or should I say splash) my stuff for thousands of people at the

DUTCHESS COUNTY FAIR ON AUGUST 23 & 24

(Mommy says we may even go up during the week).

The fair itself starts Tuesday, August 19 and wraps up on Sunday, August 24. Dock Dogs will have a regulation size pool with my fellow canines jumping morning, noon & night. Hudson Valley Dock Dogs (my home club) will have a info booth about our club and AWESOME pool. The competition starts Tuesday with Big Air Waves. Throughout the week there will also be Extreme Vertical & speed retrieval competitions. Some of the best trainers will also be there putting on seminars throughout the week. So cross your fingers Mom will take me during the week. I already puppy eyed Daddy into letting me jump BOTH Saturday & Sunday!!!

Mommy and I have been training really hard these past couple weeks. We've been walking a mile a day to build up my leg muscles. Hopefully all this work has paid off!! I do have a nice set of hips that I never knew I had. :)

Mommy also had a nice lady on the computer make me a logo. Check it out below. The cool part! The dog is REALLY me!!!! Look at the picture at the top of my blog! How cool is that! Daddy wants to have a shirt made with this lovely little logo on it. He says black, mom says white, I say PINK!!!!!

June 21st......My new personal best!!!

It was a beautiful day. Mommy & Daddy got me up really early. I hesitated but when Daddy asked me if I wanted to go swimming......I jumped to all 4 with excitement. Next thing I know we're on the road through Cow Country. Mommy says their cows but they just look like extra extra large Great Danes to me. We arrived at Hudson Valley Dock Dogs. I spotted the pool and cried with excitement. Daddy couldn't park the car fast enough. Mommy took me out and I ran straight for the pool. I wanted to jump soo bad. But I had to wait for Bruno. Finally Bruno arrived! We could jump in the water. Too bad we had to wait in something called a line. There were lots of other dogs in this line. A really cute chocolate lab named Maggie wanted to play while we waited. She was nice. Then there were Kaiser! Oh was he handsome. He was a yellow lab. He was such a flirt too. He would bow in front of me so I would play with him. I think he was a little strong for his owner though. She kept telling him to sit. Thank god there were these distractions as we waited because before I knew it! It was my turn to jump!! Daddy said it was practice. WHO CARES! It's water! He tossed the bumper and wwwweeeee! I flew through the air and **SPLASH**. That was fun! Mommy took me to an obstacle course. The first thing I tried was some dark hole but on the other side there was Mommy cheering me on with my favorite treat....a piece of cheese!!! I was hesitant at first but decided the heck with it...I WANTED THAT CHEESE. I made it through! We moved onto these bars that Mommy jumped over and expected me to follow her. "Um, mom...you told me jumping (unless it's into water) is not allowed. You're starting to give me a complex here." I tried but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I like water better. Then we moved onto these tall bars. Mommy expected me to weave my body thru them! "Mom, I can't do that! I've got your hips!" She whipped out the cheese. I'll do anything for cheese. I weaved myself through the bars and mommy cheered! Will I do it again? Nope! Labs like me stick to dock jumping! It seemed like forever until I could jump again. Finally Daddy put my "Pink Lightning" water vest on. I knew it was showtime. I got to jump 6 times during the competition. My first 4 jumps were ok...nothing great. Then Daddy decided to change up the technique. I was so confused. He took me to the end of the dock. Threw my WUBBA out into the water and made me go to the back of the dock. "Wait! I need to get WUBBA." Daddy stopped me and whispered in my ear to go get WUBBA. Get it, Get it, Get it! He let me go and I ran with all my might to GO GET WUBBA! I leaped and **SPLASHED**! I managed to keep my head above water so I could see and hear Mommy. She was cheering and taking pictures of me like always. I climbed the stairs to get out and Daddy said I jumped 14 feet 10 inches! A new personal best! Mommy and Daddy were soooooooo happy. I was sooooooooo happy. I wanted to go again. Bruno jumped too!!!! It took some warming up and building some confidence for him but he jumped on his own! I'm sooo proud to be his friend. I knew he could do it. I bet as he keeps gaining confidence he'll be out jumping me! The end of the competition came. I finished in 5th place out of 40 dogs competing. The nice lady who pet me gave my Daddy and I a pink ribbon. My favorite color!!!!! Daddy put the ribbon on my collar and we lined up for pictures. I was sooooo proud. Mommy took pictures of the day but just hasn't had the opportunity to put them on the computer. She keeps saying she's going to but instead spends time playing with me. Hey, I'm not complaining!

Huff! Huff!

Welcome to my blog. My mommy & daddy said I should introduce my friends and family to my favorite past time. DOCK JUMPING!!! I absolutely love it. It's great to feel like Peter Pan and then belly flop into the water. Dock Jumping is pretty easy for me. Loving the water is in my blood being a lab and all. Daddy teases me with my favorite toys such as my Wubba, a bright orange bumper & my new favorite (thanks Bruno for introducing it to me)...my yello squeaky dumbbell. Daddy makes me sit all the way at the beginning of the dock while he strolls near that water. He lifts my toy above his head and says "OK!!!!" I dash with all my might to get to Daddy as fast as I can. But before I know it he throws it out over the water. I say to myself....go get it before it gets away. I fly off the end and **SPLASH**. I'm soaked from head to paws but it feels great! Mommy takes pictures and claps. She tells me I did a good job and I get a cookie. No wonder I don't mind doing this dock jumping thing. Daddy & Mommy are taking me to my first jumping event this year on Saturday! I'm sooooo excited. They tell me my friend, Bruno & his mommy & daddy are coming too. We've been practicing down at the Farmington River. That dock doesn't compare to the air you get on the Dock Dog dock but who cares when the end result is splashing in the water. Check me out in action last seaon. Some pictures are below. My best jump was 13 feet 7 inches. I even got a medal! Not too shabby for a rookie.